Daniel W. Kessler Award of Meritorious Service - Guidelines

The Daniel W. Kessler Award of Meritorious Service

Establishment

This Society Recognized Committee Award has been established by ASTM Committee C18 on Dimension Stone in honor of the late Daniel W. Kessler. Mr. Kessler joined ASTM in 1926 during the formation of Committee C18 and was very active until his retirement in 1952 as Chief of the Building; Stone Section of the National Bureau of Standards. During his tenure at the Bureau, Mr. Kessler became a nationally known expert in the field of natural stones and their utilization. He authored or co-authored dozens of papers on natural stones and invented various machines and apparatus to conduct tests to evaluate natural stone. Some of this work culminated in the publication of several ASTM standards on dimension stone which are still in use today. Mr. Kessler was honored by ASTM in 1950 with the ASTM Award of Merit. His lasting significance to Committee C18 is the joint ASTM/NIST Stone Exposure Test Wall. Mr. Kessler was the key National Bureau of Standards person who selected the stones and carried out the planning and construction of the test wall. The test wall was relocated to the NIST site in GaithersburgMD, in 1977 and continues to be under active study by Committee C18. This award has been established to recognize members who have provided similar continuous contributions to the work of Committee C18, standardization development and to the dimension stone industry.

Award Criteria

Any member of Committee C18 is eligible to receive this award provided they have been an active member for at least 10 years. The nominees will be judged upon their continuous and outstanding contributions to the work of Committee C18, standardization development and the dimension stone industry. This will be evidenced by their leadership qualities such as activities developing and promoting ASTM C18 standards, publications, presentations, industry recognition or other activities that have advanced the enhancement of dimension stone use and standards. Though not a prerequisite, an unusually long and productive service within C18 will be considered on its own as a significant item in the evaluation process.

Selection Process

The selection of the candidate will be made by the Executive Sub Committee of C18. At each Main Committee Meeting, the membership will be asked to submit the names and profiles of candidates who may be worthy of this honor. The nominations must be received in accordance with the format noted in the attached Candidate Profile. The Executive Subcommittee will later review by telephone, fax or e-mail the nominees' profile to verify compliance with the scope of this award.

Selection of the recipient of the award will be based on merit. More than one person can be honored in a calendar year and there is no requirement to bestow the honor each year. Once the review process is complete, the Committee Chair shall send a ballot to each member of the Executive Subcommittee with the ballots to be returned to the Committee Chairman within 15 days. Approval of the recipient is based on receiving a minimum 60% ballot return and a minimum 66% affirmative vote on the returned ballots. The Chairman does not have a vote. Where a member has received approval of the award, this shall be announced at the next Main Committee Meeting following the ballot. Past and future C18 members who are recipients of the ASTM Award of Merit based on their work in C18 will be automatically entitled to receive the award.

Financial Support

Committee C18 will solicit contributions to cover the cost of the wall plaque for ASTM Headquarters. The cost of the walnut plaque, nameplate and pin will be covered by ASTM's annual contribution for awards. In the event that this means is discontinued, or lacking in funds, the money shall be deducted from the General Fund of Committee C18.